


Prostitutes and Promises

by Crazynumnums



Series: Happiness Comes From Many Different People [1]
Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Canon Autistic Character, F/M, Friends to Lovers, She's not so bad, Talking about Tactfulness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 16:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17811563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazynumnums/pseuds/Crazynumnums
Summary: A short one-shot for the best couple on The Good Doctor, which is Lea/Shaun, despite what everyone seems to think.





	Prostitutes and Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Originally I had planned this to be a one-shot attempting to endear a lot of you to Lea's character, because I feel that she's harshly judged by a lot of fans, that their expectations of her are too high. But then the fluff bunny took over, and things were never the same. In fairness, it is currently 1:00 AM, I finished writing this ten minutes ago, and started writing an hour ago. So we'll see.
> 
> P.S Readers of my CM fic, don't panic! I'm still writing it (obviously) but I feel more of a need to make sure that it is perfect so I don't want to write it while sleep-deprived.

"Have you ever used a prostitute, Leah?"

The question is unexpected, very much so, and she chokes a little on her coffee as she hears it. "Excuse me?"

"Have you ever used a prostitute?"

"No, Shaun, I can't say that I have." He looks away from her, down at the floor, and Lea can't help but wonder what could have possibly brought up this line of questioning. "Why do you ask?"

He doesn't answer.

"Shaun?"

Silence continues.

"I'm not letting you away from this conversation. Why are you asking about prostitutes?"

"Because when I don't know how things work, I try and learn about them. That way, I don't need to wonder any more." Lea would have believed him, but he's acting even stranger than usual, and she suspects there could be more to this than he lets on.

"Have  _you_ , Shaun?"

"No." That was all that Lea needed, but Shaun continued talking. "That would be illegal. And I don't need to..."

"To what?"

"I don't need to learn about sex from a practical application."

Whatever Lea had been expecting, this was certainly not it, but she grins, despite the awkwardness she feels building in the room. "Learn about sex? Are you a virgin, Shaun?"

"Yes, I am. I don't think I would be very good at sex. It sounds hard."

"It can be, but not when you're with the right person."

He plowed on as though he hadn't heard her, like he often did. "And people think that I am weird. They don't want to have sex with me."

"How do you know, Shaun?"

"I asked them."

"Of course you did." She grinned in embarrassment for him.

"It did not end well."

"No, I didn't think that it would have."

"One girl hit me. I didn't ask any more after that."

"That was definitely the right thing to do."

"Do you want to have sex with me?"

This was the third time that Lea had been blindsided in this single conversation, and she was getting tired of it. "Shaun! No! I don't."

"Sorry. But I didn't think you would hit me. Not like the people at school."

"At school? You asked people at school?" She didn't know why, but the thought of a 16 year old Shaun Murphy going around asking for sex was extremely humourous to her in that moment.

"Once at high school. The rest were at university."

"The rest? How many girls did you ask, Shaun?"

Shaun stayed silent for a moment, and Lea thought he was avoiding the question, but then he spoke up, seemingly finished with whatever he was doing. "I don't know. I wasn't keeping count. I think I remember them all, but then I don't know if I've forgotten one. So I don't know."

"How many can you remember?"

"Six."

Normally she was somewhat admiring of his bluntness, even though she knew it was a byproduct of a different problem. Not now, though. "Ugh. Shaun, you can't do that. Please tell me you haven't done that at work!" Shaun seemed to notice her agitation, because he shifted in his seat. "Shaun!"

"I haven't." Lea breathed a sigh of relief. He kept talking, and ruined it, somewhat. "I wouldn't bother, because I know that Dr. Lim would say no, because she is having a  _secret relationship_ \--" he said this last part with such vigour that Lea forgot she was meant to be annoyed and let out a snort, "--I don't want to ask Dr. Reznick because she seems like the sort of person who  _would_  hit me."

"And what about the other woman? Was it Claire?"

Shaun nodded. "No, I have not asked her. Ma--"

"NO! Shaun, do not ask for..." she trailed off exasperated, and more than a little uncomfortable with the thought of him possibly being devirginised by the attractive coworker. But that was a thought for a later date. "Shaun, you need to understand tact."

"I try. But it is hard, when nobody tells me what to do for different topics."

"Well, I'm telling you now. It isn't okay to do that sort of thing, alright?"

"Okay. I will remember that."

"Do you really have to be told about every different topic before you understand those social do's and don'ts?" Shaun looked affronted, and Lea backtracked. "Well, anyway, people are sensitive about this stuff."

"Why?"

"I'm not really sure, Shaun. We just are."

"But we're just animals. And animals mate randomly all the time."

"Yeah, but...  a lot of species are also monogamous. I guess that humans are one of those species. And we feel uncomfortable when it's, uh, suggested that we would possibly do something like that."

"Okay. I will remember that." He paused, and Lea began to fill the silence, but he continued. "Why did you get uncomfortable?"

"Huh?" Lea wasn't sure where he could possibly be going with this.

"You were unhappy when I asked. But you have non-monogamous relationships all the time. So you have no reason to be offended."

"That's not true. I have monogamous relationships all the time. They just don't last very long."

"I don't think you know what monogamous means." Lea rolled her eyes. "It means a forever relationship. Which is impossible for humans to do all the time, but your average relationships last for about three weeks. You broke up with Jake two weeks and four days ago."

Lea didn't want to express her reasoning for that, which was basically her being given an ultimatum, which was stupid given that she and Shaun were living together, and, as Shaun said, they'd been dating for two weeks and three days. Not really much of a choice. Goodbye, Jake. "Hey, that isn't fair. I've had bad luck."

"It is unlikely that you would have bad luck this often. It is more likely that you are choosing the wrong sort of person."

Something about that statement sounded odd to Lea, but she shook it away. "And what would  _you_  know about it, Shaun?" She regretted the words instantly.

"I wouldn't know, because I have never tried dating before." Lea conceded that point, and was glad that Shaun was agreeing. "I haven't tried before, because I wouldn't know how to do it, but maybe also because I  _am_  waiting for the right sort of person."

 _Well, that one cut to the bone,_  she thought. But it was a fair assessment. "And what sort of person is that, Shaun?"

"I don't know yet. I don't even know if I've met them already."

That statement wasn't particularly obvious. None of them were, really. But the hidden subtext of the conversation burst through there. He was dropping breadcrumbs. He had tried the direct approach, and it hadn't worked, so now he wasn't trying to make a move. He was trying to entice  _her_  into making a move. He didn't ask those questions out of a lack of tact. Well, not wholly, anyway.

He asked because he really wanted to be with her. In a romantic way.

"Shaun, I know what you're doing."

"I am talking to you, Lea. We have been talking for seven minutes now."

"Don't decide to suddenly play dumb now. I know why you're saying the things you're saying." Shaun fidgeted again, and his surprisingly steady gaze dropped to the ground once more.  _Fuck it_ , she decided,  _go with the flow._

_Trust your instincts._

"What do you mean, Lea?"

"This is your needlessly complicated and ridiculous way of trying to ask me out."

"No it isn't." Lea felt an odd feeling of disappointment, but she'd readily accepted it now, so it didn't come as much of a shock. However, her assortment of feelings caused her to miss the second part of his statement.

"What was that, Shaun?"

"It wasn't needlessly complicated. It was exactly the right amount of complicated."

Lea laughed, a bright happy sound, that filled out the room and even made Shaun crack a smile. "Unfortunately, sweets, it was needlessly complicated."

Shaun looked crestfallen. And then confused. Furrowing his eyebrows, he asked, "Why did you call me sweets?"

"It's a strange nickname, isn't it? I don't know. It just slipped out." She had heard the nickname somewhere before. Probably from a really stupid, sappy romantic comedy.

"I like your strange nickname, Lea. But Claire said..."

"What did Claire say?" Lea felt like rolling her eyes.

"She said that nicknames could be flirting."

"Okay. Yes, Shaun, I was flirting." Shaun eyed her warily, and she realised that if she wanted to try this out, she had to make the move. "And yes, Shaun, I would like to go out with you."

"That's good." Shaun's words weren't enthusiastic, but the smile on his face spoke volumes.

"On one condition."

"What is your condition?"

"Never ask anyone else to have sex ever again."

"I can do that, Lea."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm pretty sure I'm going to wake up tomorrow, read this, and go "What on Earth was I thinking?" Yes, I know, I'm a freaking sappy idiot! I can't help it! Someone get me some help! :D
> 
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated, even if you hated it! <3
> 
> Numnums out! (for now!)


End file.
